Filling the void in 12th District

Observer-Reporter

May 10, 2010

The unexpected death in February of U.S. Rep. John Murtha left a void in the U.S. Congress and, more specifically, in Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional District, that seems unlikely to be filled anytime soon. Murtha not only brought a wealth of expertise on defense issues to the U.S. House of Representatives, but also pulled a bounty of federal projects into his district. Some may have condemned it as pork-barrel spending, but it brought the region a much-needed economic lift as the steel industry withered.

Voters in the 12th Congressional District will have the opportunity to vote for Murtha's replacement in two separate ways May 18. First, there's a special election to fill out the remainder of the term Murtha won in November 2008. That contest is pitting Democrat Mark Critz against Republican Tim Burns. There's also a primary election where the Democratic and Republican parties will make their choices for the November general election.

Critz, a Johnstown Democrat, served as the director of Murtha's district office and has said he knows what buttons to push and levers to pull to make things happen for constituents in the 12th District. Hard-working and dedicated, he would be the best choice to fill the remainder of Murtha's term.

Although Critz seems to be running as hard to the right as he can, saying that he would not have supported the health care bill and disavowing cap-and-trade legislation, we're more comfortable with his stands on the issues in comparison to Burns, a businessman from Eighty Four.

Burns has suggested that spending in Washington, D.C. is out of control and must be reined in. But when pressed on where cuts could be made, he was vague. He offered the elimination of the Environmental Protection Agency as a place to start, but it's only a 1.5 percent sliver of the 2010 federal budget. That would hardly be enough to bring down the deficit and would cause immense harm to the air we breathe and the water we drink.

In the Republican primary, Burns is competing with William Russell, a retired lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army who challenged Murtha in the 2008 general election. Some of Russell's policy prescriptions, like giving seniors $1,000 monthly vouchers in lieu of Medicare so they can buy insurance on the open market, give us pause. But Russell has considered the issues with a depth and thoughtfulness that Burns has not demonstrated. He also has a background in defense and foreign policy, something that Burns lacks. We believe Russell would be the better choice for Republicans.

In the Democratic primary, Critz is vying for the party's nod against Ron Mackell Jr., an entrepreneur, U.S. Air Force veteran and former reporter for Johnstown's Tribune-Democrat newspaper, and Ryan Bucchianeri, a Monongahela native, graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and Harvard. Neither campaign has received much attention in the midst of the trench warfare between Critz and Burns. But we think that the overlooked Bucchianeri deserves the enthusiastic support of primary voters.

Bucchianeri's background is indeed impressive. After graduating from the Naval Academy in 1997, he went on active duty in the Middle East and was part of a first-response task force following 9/11. After leaving the Navy, he received a master's degree in public policy from the prestigious Kennedy School of Government at Harvard, and has specialized in such areas as Eastern European regional security and South American drug interdiction for the defense contractor Lockheed Martin.

Unlike Critz, who appears to shy from the Democratic label on every issue except trade and jobs, Bucchianeri is unapologetic in his support of the health care bill, along with giving gay couples the same rights as married, heterosexual couples, reproductive rights and a foreign policy that emphasizes diplomacy over posturing.

If Bucchianeri doesn't prevail in the primary election, we hope he remains interested in public service. He has the makings of a truly superior elected official.

Russell gets my vote in the primary with fingers and toes crossed. But if he doesn’t make it, it won’t kill me to vote for Burns.
I am a little disappointed at Russel’s campaign ad that runs fairly frequently. It really doesn’t say much except that he is a great campaigner and fundraiser. That just doesn’t get anyone very excited. There has to be more. Burns’ ads are very smooth.

PA has about the most absurd election system I've ever seen, at least in this instance: At the same time you have a general election to fill a vacant House seat, you have each of the candidates in that general election up against opponents within his own party in a primary for the same seat for the November election.

Isn't this a bit like putting the cart before the horse? Shouldn't logic dictate that the primary for the November election come after the seat is filled in the special general?

PA has about the most absurd election system I've ever seen, at least in this instance: At the same time you have a general election to fill a vacant House seat, you have each of the candidates in that general election up against opponents within his own party in a primary for the same seat for the November election.

Isn't this a bit like putting the cart before the horse? Shouldn't logic dictate that the primary for the November election come after the seat is filled in the special general?

Yes, it is absurd, but only because Pennsylvania has an absurdly clever Governor. He's a loathesome corrupt pig, but he's damn clever.

The Democrat Governor Ed Rendell decreed that the special election would be held on the same day as the primaries. It was a deliberate political move on his part to drive Democrat turnout. The Democrats are running some hotly contested primaries (eg. Specter-Sestak) and heavy turnout could help the Democrat candidate in the special election.

Had logic been a factor the best thing would have been to leave Murtha's seat vacant since November's General Election is less than 6 months away.

The whole thing is a fiasco and the local folks resent all of these out-of-town clowns and party hacks that are showing up here to tell them who to vote for in the special election. This is helping the primary candidates who are not candidates in the special election, like Bill Russell and Ryan Buchianerri. They're running quiet local campaigns and the folks are more comfortable with that.

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